Bill Belichick’s uncomfortable halftime interviews with Steve Burton are one of the most treasured Patriots preseason traditions. The surly head coach often looks pained during the 30-second ordeal, grunting his way through Burton’s perfunctory two questions.
But on Thursday night, we saw nothing but smiles.
When Burton asked Belichick about his team’s performance in the first half, he unsurprisingly laid out a string of cliches. However, there wasn’t any apparent disdain attached to Belichick’s response. That’s a big victory.
“It’s good to be back out there, good to be competing, good to be playing,” Belichick offered. “Everybody will get to play here, everyone will get some experience, and that will be good. Get through some situations, fundamentals, techniques, all of that. We all need work.”
Belichick’s insights into rookie kicker Quinn Nordin were even more generic, but again, his tone was pleasant. “Quinn’s got a good leg,” Belichick said. “He got a couple of good balls. We’ll see how it goes.”
But then came the money shot, or should I say, the money grin. Burton thanked Belichick for his time, and he replied with a big toothy smile. Maybe it’s the Linda Holliday effect.
Speaking of which, did Belichick get married?
Belichick’s newfound congeniality didn’t make its way to his postgame presser — though he did supply a wonderfully matter-of-fact answer when asked why he didn’t challenge Mac Jones’ first incompletion to Jakobi Meyers, which appeared to be a catch.
“I didn’t feel like challenging it,” Belichick said.
Fair enough.
There are multiple reasons why Belichick, who turned 69 this April, may be especially looking forward to this season. For starters, he admitted last year was a reset, and lived up to his word. Following a 7-9 campaign, the Patriots spent the most money in free agency history.
Also, fans are back at Gillette Stadium, and made themselves heard Thursday night. As a football lifer, Belichick may genuinely feed off the crowd.
We know he probably feeds off the motivation from trying to counter Brady’s Super Bowl win.
Smiles all around.
